Bruce returned to the academy somewhere in the afternoon where the sun had hit its peak within the sky.
and as he entered the court he had noticed it being.. more empty?
Considering the scale of examinees it looks like it would be about two times as much people as there currently is scattered around the court.
i guess it came about to Bruce that the amount accepted was quite lacking as the academy for mages seems to have more people in general.
most of the faces around looks happy though some looked dissatisfied.
that's to be expected this years entrance exams were a lot harder than last years.
A full twenty five exchanges or two and a half minutes - it's like they wanted less students this year.
Inside the building Bruce footsteps echoed, "That guy.. what was his name again?"
Bruce frowned, it almost looked like he was trying to use something that wasn't there.
And there it was.
A big and shiny board that basically is singing a beautiful hymn towards Bruce.
< That's the results board right? >
Bruce paused.
He didn't care but cared enough that he decided to go check anyway.
「
Top entry students : top 30
Old Ruther #1, Mireya Senn #2, Corvin Hale #3.... Bruce #23
The student that have lasted 150 seconds have been put in senior classes 」
"eh?" Bruce was astounded, "I thought i did better than that.."
Bruce didn't notice or rather he couldn't.
That there was no sound around him this entire time apart from his.
But the shift in air that he felt was enough.
Before the person behind him could even say anything he turned around.
she stood just a step to close to him, enough to catch him off guard.
"You look a little troubled."
after taking a step back he caught onto something that felt off, she didn't feel there in the way others did.
slightly shorter than him, her frame was deceivingly light - not weak just.. unanchored. Like if he blinked, she wouldn't be in the same place when he opened his eyes again.
her hair was ash-blonde, tied up into a loose bun that didn't quite hold together. Strands had escaped, resting against her neck and brushing her cheeks, shifting faintly even though the air was still.
Her eyes met his-light brown, but not warm in the usual sense. They were clear, steady, and quietly observant. The kind of gaze that didn't just look at you, but through you, as if she was piecing something together. It reminded him of the way Vernon normally stares and analyses things.
Her features were delicate, almost soft, but it didn't make her seem fragile. There was intention behind the way she held herself-balanced, careful, like she wasted no unnecessary movement.
Bruce frowned slightly again.
It wasn't her appearance that caught him.
It was the feeling.
When he focused on her-really focused-his senses didn't settle the way they should. It was like trying to look at something through thin fog. She was right there, completely visible, yet something kept telling him she wasn't entirely... 'solid'.
Not physically.
But in presence.
Like she could shift, disperse, or slip away at any moment.
Mist.
The word came to him without effort.
And somehow, it fit her too well.
"You stare an awful lot."
"...Do I?"
Her lips curved just a little-not quite a smile.
"A little."
She tilted her head, studying him as if confirming something.
"You're not upset about your result."
Bruce didn't respond.
"No.. you are upset."
His gaze sharpened.
A random person talking about his achievements, he felt uneasy.
"...You talk like you were watching the whole thing."
"I was."
No hesitation. No embellishment.
Just a simple answer.
Bruce exhaled faintly through his nose, glancing away from her for a moment before looking back.
"...Then you already know it's nothing worth talking about."
"Isn't it?"
Her voice didn't rise. If anything, it softened.
"You held back."
That made him pause.
Not outwardly.
But enough.
"...You're making assumptions."
"Am I?"
There was no challenge in it. No pressure.
Just quiet certainty.
Bruce stared at her for a second longer.
Something about her felt...
Off.
Not in a way he could point to.
Just-
It was subtle.
Enough to ignore.
But not enough to dismiss.
"...Who are you?" he asked.
"Selene."
A brief pause.
"Selene Marr."
She didn't offer her hand. Didn't shift her stance.
Just gave him the name.
Bruce nodded once.
"...Bruce."
"I know."
Of course she did.
That tracked.
"Someone told you're annoying before?"
"I'm part of the student council committee," she added, almost as an afterthought.
No pride.
No weight behind the title.
Bruce's expression didn't change much.
A slow exhale came through him, "...Right."
A beat passed.
Then-
"We look for people like you."
There it was.
Straight to the point.
Bruce let out a quiet breath again, glancing back at the results board before returning his attention to her.
"...You're wasting your time."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
"I'm not interested."
Selene didn't react.
Not even a flicker of disappointment.
Just that same steady gaze.
"...Because of the commitment?"
"If its a group then its already obvious ill have my freedom restricted."
His answer came just as easily.
"It probably works something like that escort agency i worked for before.. and i don't like being tied down."
Her head tilted slightly again, like she was adjusting something internally.
"Freedom matters to you."
It wasn't a question.
Bruce didn't answer.
She continued anyway.
"Freedom is easier when fewer people can interfere with you."
He looked at her again.
"...That sounds like control."
"It is."
No denial.
"But it can look like freedom, depending on where you stand."
Bruce's eyes narrowed faintly.
She wasn't pushing him.
She wasn't trying to convince him.
She was just... placing the idea in front of him.
Like it didn't matter whether he took it or not.
That, more than anything, felt strange.
"...Still not interested," he said.
"For now?"
The words slipped out before he thought about them.
Bruce paused.
A fraction too long.
"...Just not interested."
Selene studied him for a second.
Then-
"That's fine."
And just like that, it was over.
No follow-up.
No attempt to persuade him otherwise.
Which-
Wasn't normal.
Bruce frowned slightly.
"You're giving up pretty easily."
"I wasn't trying to convince you."
Her answer came immediately.
"I just wanted to see."
"See what?"
"If you'd refuse."
Bruce blinked once.
"...That's it?"
"For now."
The same words.
But from her, they felt... different.
Like they carried more weight than they should.
A silent breeze settled between them.
Then Selene spoke again.
"You'll get stronger faster on your own."
A small pause.
Bruce didn't respond this time.
He just watched her.
Trying-again-to pin down that feeling.
And again-
It slipped.
Like there was nothing solid to hold onto.
Selene stepped back.
At least-
He thought she did.
There was no clear moment of movement. No shift he could track.
She was just... slightly further away.
"I'll see you around, Bruce."
Then she turned.
And walked off.
This time, he did watch.
Carefully.
Deliberately.
But even then-
There was a moment, halfway through, where his focus wavered-
And she felt further than she should've been.
Bruce clicked his tongue softly.
"..Freak."
He glanced back at the board, but his attention wasn't there anymore.
Selene Marr.
Student council.
The word surfaced again without effort.
Something like mist of vapor.
Something you can see but cant feel.
He exhaled.
Vernon would've said something.
Not about her position.
Not about her strength.
About that feeling.
Bruce shifted slightly, hands slipping into his pockets.
"...I'll ask him later."
A pause.
Then, quieter-
"...She's the first one."
The thought came uninvited.
And stayed.
Not the first person he'd spoken to.
Not the first student.
But-
The first girl here who had actually spoken to him like that.
Not awkward.
Not distant.
Not performative.
Just...
Direct.
Bruce frowned faintly, looking in the direction she had gone.
"...How troublesome."
But he didn't sound annoyed.
If anything-
There was something else there.
Something quieter.
Something he didn't bother naming.
He turned away from the board.
And this time-
He didn't look back.
Time passed.
Bruce's day went about as expected.
Lunch came and went. He ate without thinking much about it, more focused on the lingering feeling of movement in his body than the food itself.
Afterward, he rested briefly, then went to train.
That part made sense.
Everything else didn't.
On his way back toward the dormitories, something finally clicked.
Bruce slowed slightly.
His eyes drifted across the passing students, the courtyards, the open walkways-
Then narrowed.
"...Wait."
He hadn't seen Vernon.
Not once.
Not after the exams.
Bruce frowned.
That didn't make sense.
The exams had ended hours ago-long enough for people to regroup, talk, compare results.
Vernon would've come looking for him.
Or at least been somewhere obvious.
Bruce clicked his tongue lightly.
"...Where'd you go?"
The chain at his side shifted as he adjusted his stance slightly.
He kept walking.
Faster now.
"Bruce."
The voice stopped him.
Clean. Precise.
Bruce turned.
An older woman stood a short distance away.
Composed. Still. Watching.
Not like the instructors.
Not like the students.
Different.
Bruce's eyes narrowed slightly.
"...uhm, Do I know you?"
"No."
"...Right."
That didn't help.
She stepped closer.
"Your room is numbered 904."
Bruce stared at her.
For a moment, he didn't respond.
Then-
"...No, it's not."
A pause.
Her expression didn't change.
Bruce scratched his head.
"For the first three days, rooms aren't assigned," he said. "Everyone stays in unnumbered ones while they sort things out."
He tilted his head.
"So either that changed..."
A small pause.
"or you are someone important that is giving it to me early for some reason."
Another stretch of silence lingered in the air.
"You are correct," she said.
Bruce didn't relax.
"...Then why do I suddenly have a room?"
"Your brother placed first."
There it was.
Bruce exhaled through his nose.
"Yeah. That sounds like him."
But he didn't smile this time.
"...And because of that, I get special treatment?"
"Yes."
"That's suspicious."
"It is."
Bruce blinked.
"...You're not even trying to hide it."
"I have no reason to."
That didn't make it better.
Bruce studied her more carefully now.
"...Where is he?"
The question came sharper this time.
More direct.
"He is safe."
"That's not what I asked."
A pause.
Then-
"He will not be studying here."
Bruce's expression hardened.
"...Explain."
"He will be training under my brother's guidance," she said. "Outside the academy. On the outskirts of the city."
Bruce stared at her.
Longer this time.
"...You're telling me he's been moved somewhere else..."
His fingers tightened slightly against the chain at his side.
"...and I'm just supposed to take your word for it?"
"You may choose not to."
That answer...
Didn't help.
At all.
Silence stretched between them.
Bruce exhaled slowly.
"...What does that mean for me?"
"My brother's rival will instruct you."
Bruce's eyes sharpened.
"...Rival?"
"Yes."
He shifted his weight slightly.
"You're saying that like it matters."
"It will."
A pause.
"Each year, this academy participates in external competitions," she continued. "Not just for display."
Her gaze held his.
"For standing and they bet on you two, who would come out stronger in just a year."
Bruce didn't fully understand what she meant-
But it didn't sound small.
"Tell me," she said, "have you ever fought your brother seriously?"
"Of cour-"
He stopped.
Again.
The answer caught in his throat.
He'd fought with Vernon.
Always with him.
Against things stronger. Bigger.
But never once against him.
Bruce looked away slightly.
"...No."
"Then you will," she said, "at the end of the year."
Bruce's gaze snapped back.
"...No."
Flat.
Immediate.
"I won't."
"I expected that."
"...Then why bring it up?"
"Because time changes decisions."
A pause.
"I once believed the same."
Bruce didn't respond.
"I did not wish to fight my brother," she continued, "until he became the only one capable of standing against me."
Bruce took a step back.
Then another.
His body already deciding to leave.
"Bruce."
He stopped again.
Didn't turn.
"I will not force you."
Her voice didn't push.
Didn't need to.
"But give it time."
A beat.
"One year."
Bruce let out a quiet breath.
"...Only a year."
"That will be enough."
"...For what?"
No answer.
Instead-
"You will find your instructor in the south wing," she said. "A large court. You will recognise it."
Bruce hesitated.
"...And this 'rival'..."
A pause.
"...What are they like?"
For the first time since the start of their interaction she smiled.
"They will suit you."
Bruce frowned.
"...That doesn't sound good."
She stepped closer.
Placed something in his hand.
A key.
"Room 904."
Bruce looked down at it.
Still warm from her touch.
"...You're just handing this over?"
"Yes."
"...No conditions?"
"None."
That was worse.
Bruce looked back up-
"...Who are you?"
A pause.
Not long.
But deliberate.
Then-
"I am Aurelia."
Another beat.
"The headmaster of the mage academy."
Silence.
Bruce stared at her.
"...You're the headmaster."
"Yes."
"...Of the mage academy."
"Yes."
Bruce looked around slowly.
Then back at her.
"...And you're talking to me."
"Yes."
A pause.
Bruce exhaled.
"...Alright. Sure. That makes sense."
It didn't.
Not really.
But he let it go.
Because pushing it further wouldn't give him answers.
Just more questions.
Aurelia watched him for a moment longer.
Then, almost as an afterthought-
"Food within the academy is free."
Bruce blinked.
"...What?"
"Unlimited. For both you and your brother."
A pause.
"...Because of his placement."
Bruce stared at her.
Then-
< Alright, that part I'm not questioning - ill take free food any day. >
Aurelia almost smiled.
"Good."
She stepped past him.
He wanted to turn around to take a look at her one last time but..
Just like that-
She was gone.
Bruce stood there, staring down at the key in his hand.
His grip tightened slightly.
Vernon was gone.
Sent somewhere else.
By someone he'd just met.
Someone he couldn't fully read.
"...Tch."
Bruce slipped the key into his pocket.
Then turned toward the academy halls.
"...Guess I'll see for myself."
And started walking.